The Squad Solar is a neighborhood electric vehicle or microcar that has a solar panel on top to make it a solar car. The vehicle can also be plugged into a regular outlet to be powered by the grid. The vehicle is manufactured by Squad Mobility BV based in the Netherlands which was founded by Robert Hoevers and Chris Klok that previously worked at Lightyear.[4] It is set to start production for the EU market in 2025, and sales in the US starting in 2025.[5][6]
| Squad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Squad Mobility |
| Production | Start 2024 in Europe |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Neighborhood electric vehicle Microcar Quadricycle (EU vehicle classification) |
| Body style | 2-door |
| Doors | Removable |
| Powertrain | |
| Electric motor | Two 2 kW rear motors[1] |
| Battery | Four 1.6 kWh swappable battery packs for a total of 6.4 kWh lithium-ion battery[2] |
| Electric range | 50 km (31 mi) to 100 km (62 mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Width | 1.2 m (3.9 ft) |
| Height | 1.6 m (5.2 ft) |
| Curb weight | 600 lb (272 kg)[3] |
The solar roof can add up to 21–30 kilometers (13–19 miles) per day of range. The manufacturer is creating an L6 and L7 version in Europe that goes 45 km/h (28 mph) and 70 km/h (43 mph). The efficiency is up to 19 kilometers (12 miles) per kWh, making it more than 3 times as efficient as the Tesla cars available in 2023.[7] The price starts at €6,250 Euros and charges extra for removable doors, air conditioning, heating and added batteries.[8] In the L6 version only a moped licence is needed to operate and is popular among teens because the age to drive a regular car in Europe is 18 years old.[9]
We are seeing a tremendous interest from the USA, specifically for markets such as sharing platforms, gated communities, campuses, (seaside) resorts, tourism, company terrains, hotels & resorts, amusement parks, and inner-city services.[10]
— Squad co-founder Robert Hoevers[11]
Gallery
edit-
Front side view
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Side view, removable doors
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Back left view, with closer view of the solar panel
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Rear view, no hatchback, storage behind seats, passenger seat folds down for additional storage
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dnistran, Iulian. "Squad Solar EV Video Review Underlines Its Low Price, Swappable Batteries". Motorsport Network. Inside EVs.
- ^ Edelstein, Stephen (11 December 2022). "$6,250 Squad solar EV coming to US\u2014wherever 25 mph is enough". Green Car Reports.
- ^ "Solar Car, City Car". Squad Mobility BV.
- ^ Lambert, Fred. "Squad solar electric city car is coming to the US for $6,250". Electrek.
- ^ https://www.squadmobility.com/
- ^ https://www.carwash.com/squad-solar-buggy/
- ^ Dnistran, Iulian. "Squad Solar EV Video Review Underlines Its Low Price, Swappable Batteries". Motorsport Network. Inside EVs.
- ^ Bellan, Rebecca. "Squad Mobility eyes shared platforms as target for its compact solar electric quadricycle". TechCrunch.
- ^ Levin, Tim. "This $6,500, solar-powered electric car is coming to Europe in 2023 — see the Squad". Business Insider.
- ^ Stern, Perry. "Squad Solar-Powered City Car Coming to America". US News.
- ^ Fogden, Tom. "A New Dawn? — Squad Mobility CEO Robert Hoevers on Solar-Powered Cars". Auto Futures TV.
External links
edit- Official website
- Vehicle Review – automotive review of the vehicle (Fully Charged, full episode)